Should helmets be mandatory for all cyclists?

A cyclist in Pittsburgh wears a helmet to ride her scooter.(Keith Srakocic/Associated Press) A man driving in an anti-helmet rally in New York died Sunday after he lost control of his motorcycle and hit his head on the pavement.

The 55-year-old was part of a group that campaigns against mandatory helmet laws in the U.S. State troopers suggested he likely would have survived the fall if he'd been wearing a helmet.

Helmet laws across North America vary from state to state and province to province, and for motorcyclists or bicyclists.

In Canada, only British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. require all bicyclists to protect their heads.

Others, including Ontario, only make helmets mandatory for riders under 18.

Research by Safe Kids Canada suggests helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by nearly 85 per cent.

And a 2010 study published by the University of Manitoba and the University of Ottawa claims bicyclists are far more likely to wear helmets if they live in a province with mandatory helmet laws.

What are the helmet laws like in your city? Would you like to see enforced helmet use where you live?